In short: Scenic and sufficiently challening on a sunny Sunday in SeptemberIn full: Trains don't get to Margate from London early enough for the 9.30am start, so it meant a dawn reveille and a two-hour drive.

Was it worth it? Certainly.

A scenic route along the Kent clifftop was made all the more enjoyable thanks to blue skies. Marshalls and supporters were all very friendly.

The course itself isn't flat at all: undulating/hilly would be a better description. At certain points the route is quite narrow on public footpaths and you might have to navigate around one or two prams.

I don't care too much for goody bags these days but a new water bottle and another technical-T will prove useful. I was also glad to have a bottle of sports drink and a chocolate bar after the race. But a bag of cheese & onion crisps was the last thing on my list of post-race desires.

In short: Pleasant run with a kick at the back endIn full: A very enjoyable marathon through the pleasant New Forest. The short sharp hill around mile 23 is a nasty piece of work but the supporters there lift you up the whole way.Date of review: October 27, 2011

In short: Worth travelling to it on a Sunday morningIn full: A very pleasant scenic route and excellent organisation, with a small field of runners, make this a very good run for all standards of runner.Date of review: March 21, 2011